Dual axis oven door structure



Jan. 30, 1962' G. R. SHERMAN DUAL AXIS OVEN DOOR STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 27, 1959 F'IG.Z

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ATTORNEY F'IGJ Jan. 30, 1962 G. R. SHERMAN DUAL AXIS OVEN DOOR STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 27, 1959 FIG. 4-

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3,918,569 DUAL AXES OVEN DOOR STRUCTURE George R. Sherman, Louisville, Ky, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed May 27, 1959, Ser. No. 816,255 Claims. (Cl. 16-147) This invention relates to doors for range ovens, and more particularly to an oven door structure so arranged that the door may be pivoted to open position about either a horizontal axis or a vertical axis.

One of the problems relating to range ovens frequently encountered by housewives involves the difficulty of cleaning the interior of the oven, and in particular the difificulty of reaching the rear portion thereof when the oven door is in an open horizontally extending position. When in this position, the location of the door makes it awkward to reach all surfaces which require cleaning, and this is especially true with respect to the larger oven doors, currently featured by a number of range manufacturers.

Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is to solve this problem by providing an oven door with a simple hinge mechanism so that the door may be opened in the usual manner, i.e., by pivoting it about a horizontal axis along its bottom edge, and which may also be pivoted to an open position about a vertical hinge axis along one side of the door when easy access to the oven interior i desired.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds, and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims appended to and forming; a part of this specification.

Briefly stated, in accordance with one aspect of my invention there is provided an oven door structure including a pair of hinges arranged to connect the bottom edge of the door to the oven body, means for releasably securing the door to one of the hinges and mean associated with the other hinge providing pivotal movement of the door about a vertical axis as well as a horizontal axis, a movable pivot pin arranged to releasably engage the top edge of the door with the oven body for pivotal movement about that vertical axis, and manually operable means on the door for disengaging it from one of the hinges and also actuating the pivot pin into its engaged position.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be made to the following description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a range embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevation view of the range shown in FIG. 1 with the door in closed position, some of the parts being broken away to show details. of construction.

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional View taken along the line 33 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line '44 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 4 but shows the door in a partially open position.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional View taken along the line 6-6 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 77 in FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 8-8 in FIG. 5.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawing, the range shown therein includes a range body 1 enclosing an oven 2 having a front opening, an oven door 3 secured by'hinge (to be described) to the range body and adapted to close the front opening of oven 2, a handle 4 on the upper edge of iatented Jan. 30, 1962 the door, and hinge levers 5 and 6 associated with the door so as to be movable therewith about a horizontal hinge axis. In accordance with conventional practice a spring 7 (see FIG. 6) is suitably connected to range body 1 and to the free end of hinge lever 5 so as to apply a force to door 3 biasing the door toward its closed position. Also, a leaf spring 8 having a roller 9 mounted on the end thereof may be suitably secured to the range body so that the roller engages a contoured edge portion 10 on lever 5, and provides means for positively locatin the closed position and a partially open position of the door. Preferably certain parts of the present invention are enclosed in the interior of door 3, and hence the door includes an outer panel 3a and an inner panel 3b secured together in any suitable manner, by means of screw fasteners, for example.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a pair of hinges, generally designated by the numerals 11 and 12, connecting the bottom edge of door 3 to range body 1 adjacent the bottom edge of the front opening of oven 2. Hinge 11 includes a fixed hinge member 13 secured to oven body 2 (by welding, for example), a movable hinge member 14 forming an integral part of arm 5 and secured to door 3, and a hinge pin 15 connecting members 13 and 14 for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis adjacent the bottom edge of the door. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4, hinge 12 includes a fixed hinge member 16 secured to the range body, a movable hinge member 17 forming an integral part of arm 6 and secured to door 3, and a hinge pin 18 connecting members 16 and 17 for pivotal movement about an axis common to hinge pin 15. Thus hinges 11 and 12 support door 3 on the range body so that it may be moved to a horizontal position as shown in full lines in FIG. 1. In this position the door forms a convenient platform for cooking utensils being placed in or taken out of the oven. It will b understood, of course, that the oven doors of most range in service today open in this manner.

However, hinges 11 and 12 differ from the hinges used in prior ranges known to me in that hinge 11 includes means for supporting door 3 for pivotal movement about a vertical axis as well as a horizontal axis, and hinge 12 includes holding means for releasably supporting the door so that the door may be disengaged therefrom and pivoted about a vertical axis, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 1. Thus I provide a vertically positioned hinge pin 19 and mating hinge portion 24} which is fixedly secured to door 3 and hinge portions 21 on hinge member 14, these parts being assembled as shown in FIGS. 3 and 6 so as to provide a vertical hinge axis for door 3.

Movable hinge member 17 (which is channel shaped so as to receive prong 17a on door 3) is not fixedly secured to door 3, but instead is provided with a U-shaped holding member 22 and a transverse holding member 23 arranged to engag a connecting member 24 carried by the door. As best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, connecting member 24 includes rod-shaped connecting elements 25 and 26 which may be vertically shifted between a lower engaged position (FIG. 4) and an upper disengagfed position (FIG. 5). When in the engaged position, connecting element 25 passes through holding loop 22 (which extends through opening 17b in prong 17a) while connecting element 26 rests between the side walls of hinge member 17 and engages the rear edge of holding element .23. When the parts are in the position described, the bottom edge of prong 17a rests on holding element 23 and door 3 functions as a conventional horizontally hinged door.

In order to firmly support door 3 when it is to be pivoted about its vertical axis around hinge pin 19, I also provide an upper hinge element 27 adjacent the top edge of the door and arranged to engage range body 1 when connecting member 24 is shifted to its upper position. Thus hinge element 27 is supported in a guide member 28 for vertical movement through a suitable opening in the top edge of door 3 and into engagement with the wall forming opening 29 in the range body. The end portion of hinge element 27 extends angularly from the vertical portion thereof, and the latter is laterally offset with respect to opening 29 so that when connecting member 24 is raised to its upper position hinge element 27 and opening 29 cooperate to produce a lifting force on the edge of the door adjacent hinge 12. This feature assures some clearance between the bottom edge of prong 17a and holding element 23 when connecting member 24 is shifted from the position shown in FIG. 4 to the position shown in FIG. 5, and holds these parts in proper alignment when door 3 is returned to the FIG. 4 position. Otherwise, the weight of the door when pivoted about its vertical axis might cause prong 17a to sag below element 23 and make return movement of the door to the FIG. 4 position difiicult if not impossible.

As best shown in FIG. 2, connecting member 24 is a unitary structure including a continuous wire element having at one end holding element 26 and at the other end hinge element 27, a reinforcing bar 30 and a vertical guide element 31. The latter element extends through guide bracket 32, which is fixedly secured to door 3, and thus cooperates with guide member 23 to prevent lateral movement of connection member 24 while providing limited movement in the plane of the door.

Manually operable means for shifting connecting member 24 between its upper and lower positions are of course provided. As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, a pivotally mounted handle 33 is secured to the door adjacent its upper edge for movement between a horizontal position in which it is hidden and held in place by handle 4 to a vertical position as shown in FIG. 5. Fixedly secured to handle 33 is an actuating arm 34 provided with a pin 35 adjacent the free end thereof which is located so that it engages the top edge of intermediate portion 36 of connecting member 24 when in the position shown in FIG. 2. Thus connecting member 24 is normally held in the position shown therein and door 3 is secured to hinge member 17. Pin 35 also cooperates with the lower surface of L-shaped bracket 37 which is welded or otherwise fixedly secured to the mid portion 36 of connecting member 24, the relative location of the parts being such that upon rotation of handle 33 to its vertical position (FIG. pin 35 engages bracket 37 and thereby lifts connecting member 24 to its upper position. Thus, while arm 34 is not firmly connected to connecting member 24, it nevertheless provides means for actuating the connecting member to its raised position and also returning it to its lower position since pin 35 engages intermediate portion 36 as handle 33 is returned from its vertical position to its horizontal position.

It is important that connecting member 24 be prevented from shifting from its upper position to its lower position, and vice versa, when door 3 is in any open position. Otherwise, of course, the door might become disconnected from all supporting means except hinge 11 and the twisting force produced by the weight of the door under these circumstances might either break or seriously damage this hinge member. Accordingly, I provide a double acting latch member generally des ignated by the numeral 38 arranged to cooperate with connecting member 24 and prevent movement thereof except when the door is in the closed position. Latch member 38 includes a movable latch element 39 of U- shaped configuration arranged to cooperate with a latching bracket 40 of L-shaped configuration secured to connecting member 24. Latch element 39 includes legs 41 and 42 and is supported on a latch bracket 43 for movement in a plane perpendicular to the plane of door 3. Leg 42 of the latch element extends through an opening in the door and is engageable with range body 1 when the door is closed. A leaf spring 44 on hinge bracket 43 biases latch element 39 into its extended position (FIG. 5), and in this position leg 41 of the latch element is in interfering relation with L-shaped bracket 40. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper edge of bracket 40 is positioned immediately below the latch element 39 when handle 33 is in its normal (horizontal) position, and if door 3 is pivoted about its horizontal axis to an open position latch member 39 no longer engages range body 1 and is moved to its extended position by spring 44 (see FIG. 8). Thus if an attempt is made to move handle 33 to its vertical position, connecting member 24 is prevented from moving upwardly to its disengaged position by leg .-1 of latch member 39. Similarly, if handle 33 is moved to its vertical position when the door is closed so as to lift connecting member 24 to its disengaged position, bracket 40 is then located immediately above latch element 39, and when the door is pivoted about its vertical axis to an open position latch element 39 prevents connecting member 24 from moving to its lower position, and thus engagement of hinge element 27 and opening 29 in the range body is assured.

From the description set forth above it will now be clear that when handle 33 is in its horizontal position and the parts are positioned as shown in FIG. 4, door 3 may be opened and closed by pivoting it about its horizontal axis and thus the door functions in a conventional manner. When easy access to the interior of the oven is required, handle 33 is merely rotated to its vertical position while the door is closed so as to disengage connector member 24 from hinge 12 and at the same time position hinge element 27 in engagement with opening 29 in the range body. The door may then be pivoted about hinge element 27 and hinge pin 19 to an open position in which it does not obstruct the front opening of the oven.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention, I do not desire the invention to be limited to the particular construction disclosed, and I intend by the appended claims to cover all modifications within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim is:

l. A door structure for a range oven or the like comprising a body defining a front opening, a door adapted to close said opening, first and second hinges connecting the bottom edge of said door to said body adjacent the bottom edge of said opening for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis to one open position, said hinges being respectively positioned adjacent a first side edge and a second side edge of said door, said first hinge including means for supporting said door for pivotal movement about a vertical axis as well as its horizontal axis, means for securing said door in releasable engagement with said second hinge, means for releasably engaging the upper portion of said first side edge of said door with said body for pivotal movement about said vertical axis to a second open position, a single manually operable means carried by said door for disengaging the door from said second hinge and simultaneously actuating said last mentioned means into its engaged position with the body, and double acting latch means carried by said door for rendering said manually operable means inoperative once the door is opened to either one of its two open positions, said latch means including means cooperable with said body for efiecting movement of the latch means to an unlatched position when said door is closed and to a latched position whenever the door is opened to either one of its two open positions.

2. A door structure for a range oven or the like comprising a body defining a front opening, a door adapted to close said opening, first and second hinges connecting the bottom edge of said door to said body adjacent the bottom edge of said opening for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, said hinges being respectively positioned at the two side edges of said door, said first hinge including means for supporting said door for pivotal movement about a vertical axis as well as said horizontal axis, said second hinge being pivoted horizontally to the body and including holding means for releasably supporting said door a reciprocating connecting member carried by said door for limited vertical sliding movement between upper and lower positions when the door is closed, said connecting member having a holding element engageable with said holding means of the second hinge only when said connecting member is in its lower position, said connecting member also having a hinge element adjacent the top edge of said door engageable with said body only when said connecting member is in its upper position; said hinge element being aligned with said vertical axis of the said first hinge and arranged to pivotally support the door when it swings about said vertical axis, and a single manually operable means carried by the door for shifting said connecting member between its up per and lower positions.

3. A door structure for a range oven or the like comprising a body defining a front opening, a door adapted to close said opening, first and second hinges connecting the bottom edge of said door to said body adjacent the bottom edge of said opening for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis to a horizontal open position, said hinges being respectively positioned at the two side edges of said door, said first hinge including means for supporting said door for pivotal movement about a vertical axis as well as said horizontal axis, said second hinge being pivoted horizontally to the body and including holding means for releasably supporting said door, a reciprocating connecting member carried by said door for limited vertical sliding movement between upper and lower positions when the door is closed, said connecting member having a connecting element engageable with said holding means only when said connecting member is in its lower position, said connecting member also having a hinge element adjacent the top edge of said door engageable with said body only when said connecting member is in its upper position, said hinge element being aligned with said vertical axis of the first hinge and arranged to pivotally support the door when it swings about said vertical axis to a vertical open position, a single manually operable means carried by the door for shifting said connecting member between its upper and lower positions, and double acting latch means carried by said door operable to prevent shifting movement of said connecting member whenever the door is in either one of its two open positions, said latch means including means cooperable with said body for effecting movement of the latch means to an unlatched position when said door is closed and to a latched position when the door is open.

4. A door structure for a range oven or the like comprising a body defining a front opening, a door adapted to close said opening, first and second hinges connecting the bottom edge of said door to said body adjacent the bottom edge of said opening for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis to a horizontal open position, said hinges being respectively positioned adjacent the two side edges of said door, said first hinge including means for supporting said door for pivotal movement about a vertical axis as well as said horizontal axis, said second hinge being pivoted horizontally to the body, means for securing said door in releasable engagement with said second hinge including an elongated reciprocating connecting member carried by said door, said connecting member being mounted on said door for limited vertical movement between upper and lower positions when the door is closed, said second hinge member including a holding element defining an opening adapted to receive a portion of said connecting member only when said connecting member is in its lower position, said connecting member also having a hinge element adjacent the top edge of said door engageable with said body only when said connecting member is in its upper position, said hinge element being aligned with said vertical axis of the first hinge and arranged to pivotally support the door when it swings about said vertical axis, a single manually operable means carried by the door for shifting said connecting member between its upper and lower positions, and double acting latch means carried by said door operable to prevent shifting movement of said connecting member, said latch means including means cooperable with said body for effecting movement of the latch means to an unlatched position when said door is closed and to a latched position when the door is open.

5. A door structure for a range oven or the like comprising a body defining a front opening, a door adapted to close said opening, first and second hinges connecting the bottom edge of said door to said body adjacent the bottom edge of said opening for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis, said hinges being respectively positioned at the two side edges of said door, said first hinge including means for supporting said door for pivotal movement about a vertical axis as well as said horizontal axis, said second hinge being pivoted horizontally to the body and including holding means for releasably supporting said door, a reciprocating connecting member carried by said door for limited vertical sliding movement between upper and lower positions when the door is closed, said connecting member having a connecting element engageable with said holding means of the second hinge only when said connecting member is in its lower position, said connecting member also having a hinge element adjacent the top edge of said door engageable with said body only when said connecting member is in its upper position, said hinge element being aligned with said vertical axis of the first hinge and arranged to pivotally support the door when it swings about said vertical axis to a vertical open position, a handle pivotally mounted on said door, means forming a lost motion connection between said handle and said connecting member for shifting said connecting member between its upper and lower positions upon pivotal movement of said handle, and double acting latch means carried by said door and operable to prevent shifting movement of said connecting member whenever the door is in either one of its two open positions, said latch means including means cooperable with said body for eifecting movement of the latch means to an unlatched position when said door is closed and to a latched position when the door is open.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 872,694 Thiem Dec. 3, 1907 1,355,868 Trenkamp Oct. 19, 1920 2,885,723 Altrnann May 12, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 630,869 Great Britain Oct. 24, 1949 969,259 Germany May 14, 1958 1,081,674 France June 9, 1954 

